


And Leave, the Creature Didn't.

by ChickenAndRice55



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Delicate Flower quest, Ghost is jumpy and always excited, Minor Violence, Tiso becomes a big brother figure (despite his best efforts), Tiso is actually badass but has occasional episodes of self doubt, game mechanics demonstrated in universe to the best of my ability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29688618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChickenAndRice55/pseuds/ChickenAndRice55
Summary: A warrior seeks to prove his worth, as a vessel develops a sort of admiration.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	And Leave, the Creature Didn't.

Well, this was it.  
After weeks of travel, enduring the harsh and dense sandstorms ravaging the already desolate wastelands, climbing steep cliffs laced with jagged, loose rocks, all the while brandishing a powerful shield; sharp and efficient, though not without its heft. After grazing the corpse of this grand fallen kingdom, this was finally it.

The chance to finally prove his strength. The chance to finally be treated the warrior he knew himself to be. The chance- no, the guarantee of respect from the lowly bugs who considered themselves his superior. It was all here.

The Colosseum.

Tiso sat impatiently. The journey itself proved to be its own trial, and frustratingly enough this meant glory would be further delayed. Though he wished to immediately partake in this arena’s first trial, a pathetic bug chained upside down had urged him to rest within the Warrior’s Pit, to which Tiso obliged. It’s not like he needed it or anything, he just figured perhaps this weak squib would refuse his pay had he not heeded the offer. He didn’t test this theory, however, and chose not to hear as the Little Fool asked for payment upfront before he made his way down.

He took the opportunity to survey the competition. Weak bugs, large in numbers and size, but with no strength to show for it. He looked to his right at one of the larger bugs, some portly creature with two sharp boomerangs resting in their lap. He tried to imagine how this Fool might fight with said weapons. Slashes would be ineffective, especially once he revealed his shields offensive capabilities. Its many plated blades could shoot outwards from his defensive arm, creating grips that could easily be able to knock the small weapon out of their hand. If they were to instead throw them, he could easily deflect with his shield and knock the weapons into the dirt, leaving the Fool defenseless. This daydreaming left Tiso feeling confident. 

He held onto this confidence, until the large bug rolled over into a more comfortable position, revealing a large satchel containing several more blades, some lightly scuffed from repeated use. The bag itself heavily stained orange with infection and blue with Hemolymph, suggesting several past warriors had met their end upon the blades.  
The sight caused a new scenario to cross Tiso’s mind. One of being overwhelmed by the sheer number of blades crossing his path, all from different heights and angles and traveling at different speeds. This alone he could handle, but he had neglected to consider that multiple opponents would be sent after him at a time. Stories he heard outside of Hallownest warned of wave after wave of opponents, usually two or three at a time but occasionally more, and defeated Fools being swiftly replaced.

Tiso could picture it. His attention dedicated to deflecting the waves of blades, while two of the Winged Fools slash at him from above and behind. He shook at the thought, instinctively grabbing at his arms as if to pretend to be cold.  
He readjusted on the bench, attempting to forge thoughts of victory to clear the anxiety from his head. _This always happens, _he thought. _You always second guess yourself before the fight. Where does that leave you? Weak and on edge. A warrior knows only victory. _His best method at stopping thoughts of failure and anxiety tended to be self-ridicule. He would have dedicated more time to chastising himself back into a warrior’s mindset, were it not for a loud thump that got the attention of him and some of the resting Fools.____

____It was that…thing. The small creature that would occasionally cross his path on his journey through the decaying kingdom. He hadn’t a clue what such a weak squib would be doing in this glorious place of battle, they were perhaps the weakest thing he had seen in this kingdom. On their last encounter he watched as the little bug carried a pale flower across the beautiful- no, rather, boring lake that served as his last roadblock. They had held it above the water at all times, and carried it close once they had surfaced, as if the plant were a piece of their own heart._ _ _ _

____As they stood, most eyes went back to the floor, and most Fools continued their rest. Once the little ghost caught a sight of a familiar face, they perked up in excitement. Tiso know they were going to pester him into speaking, which for once was a good thing. He could usually talk himself up out of a bad mood._ _ _ _

____The ghost wasted no time making their way to Tiso’s side. He couldn’t help but notice the thorns stuck to their mask…shell…thing. It was as if they had just narrowly completed some perilous journey. Perhaps they had just stopped here to rest, rather than fight._ _ _ _

____“Pale one. You found it too then, this perfect place. I'll soon be entering the battle. Just taking a moment to rest first.” As he spoke, his eyes were drawn to a small drop of black fluid occasionally dripping out of a thin crack in the ghost’s shell. “…I take it you need one too?”  
He hadn’t intended for it to be an invitation, but realized too late as the creature sat in the vacant spot next to him. The ghost kicked their legs and looked on, as if wanting to hear more.  
He much preferred having the seat to himself, or at least told himself that, and decided to try and scare the squib away. “Though few could truly challenge me, I'm hoping this arena presents the sort of brutal challenge I'm after. I'll crush them all. Oh, and you. You'll see me at my deadly best.” The creepy thing just stared blankly as they continued to swing their legs back and forth.  
Tiso decided just to ignore them. At least they were a silent type._ _ _ _

____Once the squib realized they weren’t getting any more conversation out of him, they shifted attention to all the pricks they had neglected on the stag ride over to the city. Most could just be wiped off, though a small few had just barely stuck into their strange body. Tiso shifted an eye to watch the odd thing pull the little thorns out, each one stained a dark black on the tip. What even was this creature?  
“…Ehh…pale thing, do you not know a better place to tend to your wounds? Preferably one very far away,” he commented.  
The bug didn’t respond as they took the last needle out and turned their focus to Tiso.  
“…Did you perhaps intend to watch my trial?” Once again, Tiso recoiled after realizing the invitation he had given. The ghost’s sight drifted for a moment of consideration, before looking back to simply nod “yes.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____There was a short pause, and then the audience had erupted into cheer. Tiso stood in awe, it was everything he had ever hoped and more. The exhilaration, the excitement, the promise of glory. The anxious thoughts were pushed deep behind him as he stood. He almost didn’t notice as the first opponent was dropped from their cage and into the arena. A simple Fool wielding a shield and hooked blade. Tiso shifted into a defensive stance, activating a mechanism to extend his own shield’s blades. They rose slightly, leaving small gaps between them that could catch on flesh or shell before cutting it away. The intimidation was hard to read on the Fool’s helmeted face, but he chose to think it was immense.  
He waited still and defensive for his opponent to take their first swing, but the Fool brought up their own shield in response. The two slowly began circling, closing the distance inch by inch. The two went still as they reached striking distance. As did the crowd.  
Tension filled the air.  
With little warning, the Fool struck, and the rumbling of the crowd reignited. Tiso easily caught the strike with his shield and attempted to use it to break his opponent’s grip, but the Fool was stronger than let on, and pulled back, taking the defensive as Tiso slashed with his shield. The slash was deflected with a loud scrape as sparks bled from both shields, and the Fool seized the opportunity to attempt a counter. Tiso pulled back as the Fool brought their blade down and caught their hand mid strike, disarming them. He wasted not one moment as he brought his shield into the Fool’s chest and swiped back with speed and force. The Fool fell in two pieces. The audience erupted at the sight, cheers drowning out the drums Tiso hadn’t realized had started. The sickly-sweet smell of the viscus orange fluid dripping from his shield was familiar, but he hadn’t a moment to contemplate these Fools’ infected state before two more just like the last had appeared on both sides of him. He stood in anticipation._ _ _ _

____The vessel watched on through the gate opposite the entrance to the arena. They thought it to be more comfortable than to gather with the other spectators and didn’t particularly care for the better angle. They were impressed with the skill their friend possessed, being able to effortlessly slice down both Fools and receiving only a scrape from the second of the two. Five platforms quickly raised to catch an equal number of round bugs they hadn’t seen before. They were reminiscent of the rolling bugs they had encountered in the Crossroads, but distinctly red in color and with sharper shells than a Crawlid. They had little time to admire the creatures, however, as in a single expertly angled swing Tiso threw his shield through all five of the beasts before they could even fall from their platforms, jumping up to catch his shield by the handle as it began its descent.  
This alone made the vessel reconsider why they hadn’t dawned a shield along with their nail, but they quickly remembered how much they appreciated the spare hand, not to mention how often they wielded their Mantis Claw and nail in tandem. Their fighting styles were so different, but they were impressed, nonetheless, and wondered if their friend might be able to teach them some of these moves.  
Another fighter was called in. The lift opened to reveal a large bug wielding dual boomerangs, who dropped down in the center of the area. Tiso stood against the back wall, just below the Lord Fool’s throne. The vessel could see Tiso’s admirable-yet-unsuccessful attempt at masking his anxiety. They didn’t understand why this bug scared him despite the obvious skill he had shown just the previous wave, but was relieved to see his confidence return once he realized how slow this opponent’s attacks were. The vessel didn’t understand this Fool’s strategy, as they seemed to chuck their boomerangs rather than throw them, and even then, only one was thrown at a time. They were all easily deflected by Tiso. Once the fool was down several blades, they brandished two of them and finally made a charge towards the challenger. Tiso was quicker than his opponent, and could easily deflect each swing, eventually staggering them and using the window to slash them deeply with his shield. The Fool fell after having attempted a final swing with the last of their strength. There was a small struggle to retrieve the weapon from the bug’s shell, but Tiso managed just before the next set of Fools were dropped in._ _ _ _

____The fight continued for seemingly ages. More armored Fools throwing attacks, as well as simple beasts that were easy enough to predict, though large in numbers and holding back no strength, especially the flying orange things that spit corrosive blobs of infection in a spread towards their target. Other than the occasional Fool who had something to lose, those were the only bugs that could sneak a hit on the combatant, even if only a graze. The vessel couldn’t blame him, as they had all too much experience with those things from their first visit to the edge of this kingdom. While they were lost in thought, they hadn’t notice that the arena had shifted such that Tiso was situated in the center on a large shellwood platform over a pit of spikes. Frustratingly, this gave them little view of the action._ _ _ _

____Tiso fought on, his agility being tested by the new floor hazard. The arena in this state was particularly challenging, as if he’d lose his shield in the spikes below there would be little hope to retrieve it. He would restrain from throwing his weapon, making an exception for the Aspids who tended to get harder to avoid the longer they were left unattended. After being given a short moment to breathe, two of the outermost platforms began to shake, before collapsing into the spikes below. Tiso was left with little legroom as two rather pathetic bugs flew in from above the colosseum. He wasted no time in slicing them once they flew within range.  
He thought he must have dwindled this colosseum of its true warriors for them to have sent him such weak competition, but held his breath when he turned to see they were merely two from an entourage. Several more of the flying beasts hovered around one large Vengefly, its body as large as the platform he stood on, sharp mandibles taking up most of the beast’s head. Tiso hadn’t feared the creature, but rather the circumstances in which he would have to fight it. It was tight; having to juggle jumping the beast to avoid its bite without falling into the spikes below, and quickly swatting the smaller bugs back whenever the creature commanded them to attack. After a few well-placed blows into the larger creature’s head, the beast fell weakly into the spikes below.  
Afterwards, the spikes on the floor retracted, leaving the creature’s body where it lay. Tiso appreciated once again being able to utilize the arena’s full space, and quickly more and more challengers were sent in to face him._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Tiso stood, heart heavy, as the final large bugs lay still before him. He was nearly crushed by one of them when it slammed its entire body up and down the arena, but still the beasts weren’t enough, and he fell both at once. He retrieved his shield, having flown clean through one and landing in the other. His worst injury had been a somewhat deep gash one of the last Fools left in his nondominant arm, and the still moment gave his body enough time to finally acknowledge the pain. He started applying steady pressure to his gash and stood. Still holding out his shield, he awaited another challenger, confident he could take any of these Fools even in his now weakened state. But instead, he was met by the thunderous cheering of the crowd he had forgotten was there. Several begun throwing their Geo at the Warrior, and the gates flanking the arena were opened.  
Victory.  
Tiso stood, both exhausted and proud, and retracted his shields’ blades. Several Fools entered from the gateway the little ghost had been watching from and began to move the gathered pile of bodies out of the arena.  
The squib met with Tiso in the center of the battleground, visibly excited from the skill their friend had displayed. They started gesturing to the newly declared Warrior. They were so intrigued by their friend’s fighting style, and they tried to remember the signs they could use to properly express that. _ _ _ _

____ _ _

____ _ _

____The newly declared Warrior took his rest in the Warrior’s Pit, partially laying on a bed of moss with his back against the wall. Once more, he desperately wished to start the next trial immediately, but was urged to rest by not just the Little Fool but the small creature who refused to give him peace as well.  
He turned his attention to the ghost, which was still jumping and flailing around trying to convey something. He could pick up on their excitement but knew there was something else they had wanted to ask.  
“Pale one, perhaps you would be more interested in testing your skills against these Fools. You wear your nail with ease for a creature so small, and I know now how weak these combatants are.”  
The ghost paused to shake their head no, and then returned to their motions.  
“Then, do you wish to test your skills against mine? I assure you I’d not hold back.”  
The ghost thought for a moment before shaking their head slowly and with a pause for further consideration, as if they were unsure whether they’d get closer to their goal by instead answering yes.  
“Bah, clearly there’s nothing I could offer you, creature. Leave me be.”  
And leave, the creature didn’t._ _ _ _

____Tiso retrieved some of the spoils of victory from his side. Other than the Geo, one of the particularly impressed audience members had thrown him a small metal plate, somewhat jagged at the ends but with a notch in the center that something seemed to slot into. There was a pin embedded in the opposite side, suggesting it was meant to be worn.  
The ghost has mostly given up on their unsuccessful game of charades, and by this point was just interested in the items Tiso had been fidgeting with. They sat on the floor by Tiso’s side and pointed sharply at the notched rock.  
“…Pale thing, what is it this time? Do you know what this is?” He contemplated why he had started. His goal was to ignore this creature, wasn’t it?  
The thing stood still for a moment, and then held their arm up as if to signal “wait,” and Tiso watched as they pressed their arm against their…carapace? Shell? Whatever their strange body was made of, they were able to push their arm straight through it, slightly digging around until they pulled…something out, which they proceeded to offer to the resting Warrior as if nothing were out of the ordinary. _ _ _ _

____Tiso was confused, and shifted slightly away from the creature, but at this point he wasn’t surprised. He decided it was best just not to ask. This kingdom was full of strange creatures beyond his understanding, and clearly this one lacked the ability to explain themself regardless. At least they seemed a passive sort.  
“…And that is…?” he had once again caught himself too late, egging the creature on further. They turned the charm around; the Warrior had clocked the small round disk as a charm, and the ghost pointed to the knob on the back. It seemed to be designed to fit into the notch on the pin. The ghost once again offered the charm to Tiso._ _ _ _

____“Little squib. I doubt the power of charms,” he commented, “a true warrior has no need for such superstitions. We rely on our own strength.”  
The ghost stared blankly before shaking the charm once. Tiso rolled his eyes and offered his hand.  
“Ehh. If you insist.” Perhaps if he played along and accepted the gift the creature would finally leave his side. _ _ _ _

____He briefly admired the charm, a small model of a shield almost bronze in color with a somewhat spiked tip, then swiftly attempted to slot it into the Charm Notch. The extrusion on the end had been larger than either of them had realized and couldn’t quite fit. With a small grunt he attempted to jam the larger charm into the too-small notch, prompting the ghost to grab at his arm as if he were about to make a sort of mistake.  
“You gave it to me, squib. I want to see how it would look attached to my hood.”  
Reluctantly, the ghost allowed Tiso to continue in his effort and, after several attempts, he was successful in fitting the charm into the notch.  
“You see, pale thing? Neither item has broken.” He was unsure why he reassured the creature.  
He held up the charm up to his hood, opting to place it a bit to the left of his head, and rather embarrassingly struggled for a long moment to get the pin through the thin cloth. The entire time the creepy thing’s gaze followed the charm, as if waiting.  
As Tiso fit the pin to his hood he suddenly felt a great energy building before him. Before he could process the feeling, a quick burst of light caught the attention of himself and some Fools. The light dispersed as a light bronze shield with blades jutting in a floral pattern fell into his lap. It was slightly smaller than his own shield and featured a sharp pointed boss protruding from the center. The ghost looked on patiently, as the few Fools whose attention had been grabbed went back to their resting.  
“…This is…” he was somewhat lost for words, and out of the corner of his eye noticed the overloaded notch glowing a faint purple, “…overwhelming…? Pale thing- “  
He looked over just in time to spot the creature once again digging through their own body, before triumphantly pulling a small cloth they had pinned multiple  
notches to. He had the instinct to look away from the display, still not quite understanding the method of their…item storage. He chose instead to fiddle with the new shield that had materialized in front of him._ _ _ _

____It was somewhat lighter than his shield. The handle was embedded slightly within the shield’s boss. There didn’t seem to be a mechanism to shift the shield’s blades into a more defensive position, unlike his own. It didn’t seem a replacement for the armament that held so much sentimental value but would make a good backup.  
The creature pulled a notch from their belt, and then pulled from the notch a metallic charm with a softly glowing pink crystal embedded in the center. They started to gently shake the Warrior’s shoulder to grab his attention, and he turned to see them quickly offer the notch. The indent within the metal pin was wider and deeper, and seemed a much better fit for the charm the Warrior wore.  
“That’s very…nice, weak creature. But I’d rather a fight with my own tools,” he spoke, still somewhat disturbed by the pale things…everything. “I’ve no need for charms. A true warrior relies only on their natural strength.”  
The ghost simply stood; their arm still extended. They nudged the notch forwards to insist the gift be accepted.  
The warrior was growing sick of this creature’s company, not to mention the heavy weight the Overcharmed notch seemed to lay on his whole body.  
This gave the Warrior an idea._ _ _ _

____“Creature, might I instead offer _you _a gift?” he pushed the floral shield off his lap and began to fidget with the pin in his hood, struggling more to take it off than he did to put it on. The ghost lowered their hand to their side and watched the Warrior face his fiercest foe yet. After a moment they decided they had enough time to clear the bed of their clutter and pushed their collection of notches back within their void, as well as the charm they had removed from the larger notch they intended to offer, but they left out said notch, still intending to offer it to the struggling ant. They stood, holding it in their hands as they continued to watch their friends’ battle.  
Right as they began to consider intervening, the Warrior finally caved and simply threw off his hood, exposing his antennae.  
Their friend was an ant, apparently. Up until this moment the ghost hadn’t really considered his nature. When they first encountered each other they almost thought him a void construct, something quickly disproven by his possession of a voice and arrival from outside Hallownest.  
The warrior held his hood in his lap and was now able to see how to remove the pin, causing the set aside shield to vanish in a flashing manner similar to how it materialized.  
He just now seemed to realize how humorous a situation this had been and seemed to slightly sulk.___ _ _ _

______“…Anyway, creature. If you give me space to rest then you may take this useless stone, as well as the…whatever you gave me. Understood?”  
The ghost stared back blankly in response.  
“…Good.” Tiso pushed the notch into the creature’s hand. “…You may leave now.”  
Yet the ghost didn’t leave, instead placing their handful of items next to Tiso on the bed and beginning to try and pull the Dream Shield charm from its much too small notch.  
“Pale nuisance, do you wish for me to strike you down? What causes you to cling to my side?” he attempted to scare, but the nuisance was much too focused on what they were doing to pay him any mind. He put his hood back on and watched as they removed the large charm from its small notch and instead place it within the larger notch, causing the purple glow to dissipate. They then stepped over to the very disgruntled Warrior and pinned it back onto his hood, the same spot he had just taken it out of. The shield reemerged._ _ _ _ _ _

______“…Well, this was pointless.” Tiso wasn’t sure why, but the weight the smaller notch had on him seemed to have been lifted.  
“Is this shield what you were pestering me about? I suppose I’ll take it if it means you’ll finally leave me be. Does it?” there was a slight desperation in his voice. And too his surprise, and relief, the ghost nodded.  
“…Really? Good. Now, creature, tomorrow I shall face my next trial,” he said, pondering why he felt the need to inform this overbearing thing.  
“I will need my rest, if there is anything you need then please, I am not the one to come to.”  
The ghost once again nodded and turned away from the Warrior to admire the small charm notch they had inadvertently traded for. It was certainly a downgrade, but they didn’t seem to mind. Tiso rolled to look away from the bothersome being and attempted to sleep, the exhaustion caused by his trial finally catching up to him. The pale creature shifted around, prompting him to turn and investigate what they were doing, but they were simply once again pulling the belt from within their strange body in order to properly store the notch they had acquired.  
Tiso looked away, and spent a minute considering what this meant for the creature. Was that where they stored their Geo? How much space was in there? If it were an endless abyss like it seemed, how were they able to simply reach in and fish what they needed out?  
His mind raced around, until eventually settling. His thoughts became less and less coherent and connected, until eventually he had drifted off to sleep._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Tiso awoke. He slightly stirred, before sitting up. The torches that hung from the ceiling had been extinguished, and the sounds of combat from above had been extinguished as well. Most of the Fools were still asleep, and Tiso threw his head back in annoyance upon the realization that he had awoken too soon.  
It was never easy for him to fall back asleep after waking up. He tied to lay still with his eyes closed for some minutes before eventually deciding he would need a walk to exhaust himself. Perhaps he could go back to that lake and admire how…er…boring, it was. That sounded nice. He reached for his shield against the wall and-  
His shield. His shield? He felt the empty space for a moment before rubbing his eyes to see it had vanished. A brief panic began as he searched all around his bed. He scanned the rest of the room but could make out very little in the dark. He swore, if one of these Fools had taken his shield in his sleep, he would strike them down painfully using…uh…oh, the other shield the squib had left. He would-  
Realization dawned on him._ _ _ _ _ _

________The squib. Their gestures. Their persistence. Their gift.  
His shield was gone.  
And so was the pale thing._ _ _ _

______He grabbed the shield the doomed creature had left in consolation as expletives spilled out from under his breath, and hastily ran outside the colosseum._ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> First fic! Posted at least. I originally was just writing this as a small "Tiso being really epic at the trials" thing for my friend and notable Tiso liker Kyora but really got into it and wanted to flesh it out into something longer. Consider this my Hollow Knight 4th anniversary project I suppose!  
> I had an absolute BLAST writing this and will work on the next chapter immediately. Expect more soon!


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